All these "I want a low-mp, high-iso camera" posters don't seem to comprehend the simple facts. Canon is about to release 5D Mk III pretty soon, and that's rumored to be the next-gen studio/landscape shooter with around 32mp and more advanced video capabilities. Most landscape and studio shooters have already adopted 5D II, as have amateur video makers. Unless Nikon wants to lose that segment completely, they need a direct competitor.

Your desires for a High-ISO, low-MP shooter represent the desires of the few, and a large manufacturer isn't going to market a camera to such a small segment. If you really crave high ISO capability, start saving for the D4 (as I am doing). The D800 will be a high-mp, studio/landscape shooter, and thank god for it.

The way Canon's 5D and 5D II have penetrated so many fields in photography is simply marvelous. It's good that it will finally have a competitor.